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Current Affairs 29 July 2025
1. Divya Deshmukh becomes third Women’s World Cup Champion
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Historic all‑Indian final in Batumi: In the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup final held on July 28, 19‑year‑old Divya Deshmukh faced veteran GM Koneru Humpy, marking the first time two Indians contested the final of this event.
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Decisive tiebreak victory: After both classical games ended in draws, the title was decided in two rapid tiebreak games (15 + 10). Divya drew the first and won the second, clinching the match by 1½–½.
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Third-ever Women’s World Cup Champion: She joins Alexandra Kosteniuk (2021) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (2023) as only the third person to win this prestigious title.
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Championship earned Grandmaster title and $50,000: By winning, Divya automatically earned the Grandmaster (GM) title—without the usual norms or rating threshold—and was awarded the $50,000 first prize
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Qualifies for 2026 Candidates and symbolizes India’s new chess era: Alongside Humpy and Tan Zhongyi (third place), Divya qualified for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament. Her triumph is seen as emblematic of a golden generation of young Indian chess talent.
2. India’s First Hindi-Medium MBBS College to Open in MP
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Location & Launch Timeline: The college is proposed in Jabalpur, MP, under Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University. It is expected to begin in the 2027–28 academic session.
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First-of-its-kind Hindi-language medical college: It will be the country’s first dedicated MBBS program entirely in Hindi, including lectures, textbooks, clinical training, and exams.
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Initial capacity & affiliation: The college will start with 50 MBBS seats, affiliated with the existing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College (NSCBMC) hospital in Jabalpur for clinical training.
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Infrastructure & funding support: Plans include a fully residential campus, faculty recruitment, and infrastructure development. The university has set aside ₹1 crore for teacher training, conferences, and promotion of Hindi-medium education.
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Curriculum translated & future expansion: Core MBBS textbooks (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, etc.) have been translated into Hindi. The state plans to expand Hindi-medium instruction to MD/MS and other medical programs in the future.
3. Iran launched the Nahid-2 satellite with Russia
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Launch Details: On July 25, 2025, Iran’s telecommunications satellite Nahid‑2, weighing about 110 kg, was successfully launched aboard a Russian Soyuz‑2.1b rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.
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Multi‑Payload Mission: The rocket carried Nahid‑2 alongside two Russian Ionosfera‑M Earth observation satellites (Ionosfera‑M 3 and 4) and 17 smaller Russian satellites, in a coordinated multi‑payload mission.
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Orbit & Mission Duration: Nahid‑2 has been placed in a low Earth orbit at 500 km altitude, with an expected operational lifespan of 2 years.
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Innovative Iranian Systems: As Iran’s first Ku‑band telecommunications satellite, Nahid‑2 incorporates domestic technology including hot‑gas propulsion (capable of adjusting orbit by up to 50 km), indigenous power systems (e.g. lithium‑ion batteries), thermal insulation materials, and advanced attitude control systems.
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Initial In‑Orbit Performance: The Iranian Space Agency confirmed receipt of initial telemetry signals, indicating the satellite is “intact and operating as expected.” Early testing has validated key subsystems such as power distribution, thermal control, communication links, and attitude stabilization.
4. Shubman Gill broke the record by scoring four centuries as a debut captain
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Record-breaking Feat: Shubman Gill became the first cricketer in history to score four centuries as a debut captain in international cricket.
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Leadership Debut: He achieved this milestone during his first series as captain, showcasing exceptional form and maturity.
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Across Formats: His centuries came in multiple formats (ODIs/T20Is/Tests), underlining his versatility as a batter and leader.
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Surpassed Legends: Gill broke previous records held by greats like Graeme Smith and Alastair Cook, who had fewer centuries in their debut captaincy stints.
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Future Captaincy Prospect: His performance has strengthened his case as a future full-time captain for India in all formats.
5. Athlete Seema Becomes First Indian Woman to Win Medal in 5000m Event
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Historic Feat: Seema won silver in the 5000m race at the 2025 FISU World University Games, becoming the first Indian woman to medal in this event.
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Season Best: She clocked 15:35.86, marking her second-best personal time in the 5000m.
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Global Stage: The achievement came at a major international competition held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
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Overcame Setback: Despite being denied entry in the 10,000m race due to an administrative error, she bounced back to win silver in the 5000m.
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Inspiring Journey: Seema's medal is a milestone for Indian women's long-distance running, signaling a strong future on the world stage.
6. Dr. Vaibhav Deogirkar awarded the prestigious Golden Humanity Award 2025
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Prestigious Recognition: In July 2025, Dr. Vaibhav R. Deogirkar was honored with the Golden Humanity Award 2025 in recognition of his exemplary social-service and healthcare contributions.
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Healthcare Humanitarian: As the President of DevDesh Pratishthan and Medical Director of H.J. Doshi Ghatkopar Hindu Sabha Hospital, he has spearheaded impactful initiatives in community health and medical care.
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Service over Accolades: Dr. Deogirkar described the award not merely as a title, but as an affirmation of his lifelong commitment to serving society selflessly.
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Celebrated by Community: The award prompted heartfelt congratulations across platforms, with social media tributes honoring him as a dedicated “Health Warrior” and service role model.
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Inspiring Legacy: This recognition highlights the impact one individual can make in public health and social welfare—serving as an inspiration for future medical professionals in India.
7. Meta appoints ChatGPT Co-Creator Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist of New AI Lab
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Leadership Role at New AI Lab: Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao—a pivotal figure behind ChatGPT and GPT‑4—as the Chief Scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), a newly formed research unit focused on advanced AI and AGI development.
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Co-Founder and Scientific Vision-Setter: Zhao was not only a principal scientist from the lab’s inception but also officially co-founded MSL. In his role, he will define the research agenda and oversee scientific strategy, working directly with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.
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Track Record of AI Breakthroughs: At OpenAI, Zhao co-created ChatGPT, GPT‑4 and its variants (GPT‑4.1 and o3), and led key developments in synthetic data generation and AI reasoning models like o1.
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Meta’s Strategic AI Pivot: MSL operates independently from Meta’s long-established FAIR lab (led by Yann LeCun) and is geared toward short- to mid-term breakthroughs in reasoning, agentic systems, and next-gen Llama models. Zhao’s appointment underscores Meta's aggressive AI recruitment and investment push.
Foot notes:
About Meta-
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CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
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Headquarters: United States
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Founded: 2004
8. REC becomes first NBFC to achieve ISO 31000:2018 certification
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Historic First for NBFCs: REC Limited, a Maharatna public‑sector NBFC under the Ministry of Power, is the first Indian public-sector NBFC to be certified with ISO 31000:2018 for enterprise-wide risk management by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
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Globally Recognized Standard: ISO 31000:2018 is an internationally accepted framework providing principles and guidelines for effective risk management. REC’s certification indicates adoption of best-in-class practices.
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Structured Risk Framework: According to Subrata Aich, Chief Risk Officer of REC, this certification underscores the company’s structured, comprehensive, and internationally aligned approach to enterprise risk management—boosting stakeholder confidence.
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Formal Presentation on Foundation Day: The certificate was formally presented to Subrata Aich by Power Minister Shripad Yesso Naik and BSI’s India Head Prateek Rai, during REC's 56th Foundation Day celebration, symbolizing a milestone event.
Foot notes:
About REC-
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CMD: Sh. Jitendra Srivastava
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Headquarters: New Delhi
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Founded: 1969
9. International Tiger Day observed on 29th July
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Global Awareness Day: International Tiger Day (also known as Global Tiger Day) is observed annually on 29 July to raise awareness about the urgent need for tiger conservation and habitat protection.
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Created at 2010 Tiger Summit: The day was established at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, where 13 tiger-range countries came together to launch the Tx2 initiative, aimed at doubling the wild tiger population by 2022.
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A Symbol of Collaborative Conservation: It encourages countries, NGOs, and communities worldwide to collaborate on combating threats like poaching, habitat loss, illegal trade, and human-wildlife conflict to safeguard tiger populations.
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Tigers as Ecosystem Indicators: Tigers are apex predators and 'umbrella species'—protecting them helps preserve entire ecosystems and biodiversity, making their survival critical to forest health and balance.
10. Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist with a Dark Streak, passed away
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Tom Lehrer died on July 26, 2025, at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 97.
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A Harvard-trained mathematician, Lehrer became renowned in the 1950s–60s for darkly witty songs like “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Vatican Rag,” and “The Elements,” which tackled issues from nuclear war to religious hypocrisy.
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Admitted to Harvard at 15 and graduating in mathematics by 18, Lehrer later taught at Harvard, MIT, and UC Santa Cruz, ultimately retiring from academia in 2001.
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By the early 1970s, he largely withdrew from performing and recording, choosing instead to focus on teaching and maintaining a low personal profile.
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Lehrer released all his songs into the public domain in 2020, encouraging reinterpretation. His lyrical brilliance continues to influence satire and comedy, cited by artists like “Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel Radcliffe.
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